Hopeless Love
by husbandofclove
Summary: Hopeless Love is a clato fanfic from Cato's POV. it willbe the whole HG book from his perspective. READ AND ENJOY! Tell me your thoughts please! : -Andy
1. Chapter 1

There are few things in my life that make me happy. For one, there is that feeling I get when my sword sinks deep into a dummy target. Second, the thought that in a few days it will _finally _be Reaping Day, so I just hold on to the thought that I will be sinking my sword into REAL PEOPLE soon enough. That keeps me going in training, when I know that I can do all the exercises blindfolded. And third, the girl who I never thought I would feel this way about, the girl I have known since she saved me five years ago. **Clove.**

_I remember that day so clearly that it still haunts me in my nightmares, but it always ends up being a dream because of how it ends. Now, my father was very abusive and a hopeless alcoholic. So it wasn't a surprise when he came to see me in my Training Center dorm looking like he was ready to shoot someone. He was absolutely wasted. He said that he needed to talk to me out back. I knew he was going to yell and scream, and probably hit me. But, refusing and fighting back would only make it worse. So, I went with him, and he started screaming the second the back door to the Center shut._

_ He was screaming about absolutely nothing, which almost made it better, because I could think that it was all the alcohol's fault. Not his. Even though I knew that was a lie, I couldn't stop myself from thinking like that sometimes. After about ten minutes of this, my father leaned in close and whispered: "You will always be a disappointment to me." And with that, he delivered the first punch, no longer just slaps. A full on punch. He hit me with all of his drunken force, right in my left temple. And being only thirteen, I was not nearly as big as I am now, making it a knockout blow._

_ I remember seeing small little bits of sky, or the Training Center wall. And then all of a sudden, it went from blackness and silence… to being slapped across the face and brought back to the real world. When I awoke I saw a very small dark-haired girl. She looked like she was a year or two younger. But it must be only one year younger, because you have to be twelve to enter the Training Center… and once you enter, you do not exit._

_ The small girl looked me dead in the eyes, with a stare so serious it could cause most people to try to turn and walk, but then trip and fall flat on their face. "I'm glad you're awake. I was starting to think of where I could hide your dead, lifeless body." She scoffed._

_ "My dead, lifele…" I stammered. " Wait, who are you?" I replied. I could barely speak because my temple felt like it was being beaten all over again._

_The small girl started to smirk. It looked as though she was about to burst out laughing, but then her face went dead cold, and she replied "I'm Clove."_

_ "Cato." I said, still pretty confused. "How did you find me?" I ask._

_ "Well I heard … That's not important right now." She retorted. "What happened to you anyway?" She continued._

_ I looked at her with a face that would scare most people out of their skin. What gives her the right to know that? But the girl just stays there, she didn't even blink. "I uhh… It's nothing. Don't worry about it." I reply, still confused on how she found me lying unconscious out here._

_ "Cato, wasn't it?" she asked, as if this were us meeting on the first day of training. "People don't just come out back by the dumpsters to take a nap. So, either you were wasted and passed out, or you got into a fight. Which one was it?" she stared at me, it felt like her eyes saw right through me._

_ I decided to lie to the girl, and tell her that I couldn't remember. "I… I have no idea. So I guess either is possible." I joke. It's very weird to be joking with someone. Especially someone I just met… who doesn't seem to be the nicest person on Earth. But it felt natural._

_ She looked at me as though giving up. She obviously could tell I was lying, but she left it alone like she believed me. "Well that sucks… or doesn't suck. Depending on what happened I guess." This girl was confusing me, she went from light-hearted and letting me off the hook, to prodding and poking to find out who, what, where,when, and why._

_ After helping me up, she walked with me inside the Training Center._

_"Bye." She quickly said, and with that she quickly turned on her heel and walked away._

_ "Bye Clo…" I said. But she was out of hearing range. What was with her? She walked extremely confidently for someone our age. She was different. She fascinated me._


	2. Chapter 2

It turns out that I had a mild to severe concussion, and if Clove hadn't woken me up, (even though she could have done it a little nicer…) I would have gone into a coma and possibly suffered from brain damage. I will never be able to repay her for that, but I try everyday.

Now I'm eighteen, so this was my last year in the Center, and since I was chosen to be the one to volunteer this year (obviously), I will be in The 74th Annual Hunger Games. There was no competition at all from the other kids. Like, no competition. None. At all.

And today is the day that the girls' volunteer is announced. The trainers get to pick the volunteers every year. Not like in District 1, where it's a madhouse with everybody trying to get on the stage first. No, here in 2, we have a system.

I go in and sit down in the bleachers in the gymnasium where they announce the winning volunteer. I kind of doze off into a daydream or something, but when I snap out of it, I can see a small girl sitting next to me, dark brown hair… Clove. I haven't seen her since two days ago, because of my new training schedule. So my face instantly lights up in one of my reputation-killing smiles that only Clove can cause.

She looks at me for a second, then throws her head back in laughter. It's a good thing there's nobody else in here, or we would appear as weak. And we are both the exact opposite of weak. "Ready to find out who you're going to end up killing in a couple weeks?" she says with a smirk plastered on her face.

"Of course." I say, giving her another grin. The girls my age are all pretty equal. So I have no guesses as to who it will be.

People are starting to come into the gymnasium now, and so me and Clove both put on our no-feelings faces. This part is hard, us not being able to completely be ourselves in front of people. Don't get me wrong, the violent, sadistic part that people see is still us. Just not all of us.

Once the bleachers are pretty much full, the trainers come out onto the stage. I start to zone out again, and soon I am thinking about the first time I saw Clove in training.

_ It was only a couple days after our little encounter by the dumpsters. I had the O.K. from the nurse to start training again. It was pretty early, probably around 6:00 in the morning. I was anxious to train again. I walked in and immediately heard another person training. Who would be here so early other than me. I walked towards the sounds and found myself in the knife area. And there she was. She was throwing from as far as I had ever seen someone her age throw from. Her accuracy was insane and she never missed._

_I let out a little cough to get her attention. It worked. She turned and sent a knife whizzing right past my head, then another between my legs. I barely had time to react before she started talking._

_"You should never disturb me while I'm training. You're lucky I recognized you fast enough." She said with a wink._

_I was still pretty shaken up, but I wasn't going to show it. "I don't think you would have done anything worse to anyone else." I say, challenging her._

_"Oh?" she replied, and before I could respond, she ran me right into the wall. She slipped a knife from her belt and held it to my neck. "What were you saying again?"_

_She was surprisingly strong for her size, and she was clearly not as innocent as she looked. "I was just saying how I don't think you would actually hurt me. You're too young to act like that, and you're a little small." I tell her. She clearly doesn't like it very much because she pulls out another knife and holds it to my face. What are you doing Cato? Why are you letting someone do this to you? Shove her off of you! Show her that you aren't here to play games! But I couldn't. I just let her caress my face with the cold, steel blade._

_"Well then…" she says. "I guess I better prove you wrong."_

_I smile at her last remark. But my mind keeps yelling at me. Telling me that I can't let her think she has power over me, but I want to see what her next move will be. She smirks right back. Then, I feel the sharp pain in my cheek. My mind is now screaming at me to stab her, but I don't. For some reason I don't think I can._

All of a sudden I come back out of my memories. I felt Clove go frozen. What is going on? I look down to where the trainers are standing. They just announced the winner apparently. Then, I see all the people staring. Not at me, at Clove. She shoots me a quick glance and I see the pain and the shock in her eyes. I can't believe what is happening. This CAN'T be happening! Clove stands up next to me, and walks down to the trainers.

As Clove reaches the front, Enobaria, Clove's trainer, yells out: "May I present to you… the newest Tribute from Disrtict 2!"

Clove just stares at me. I try so hard not to think it, but it's the truth. Me and Clove are going into The Hunger Games… **together. **


	3. Chapter 3

My mind couldn't take it. I couldn't even look at anybody… especially Clove. I stood up and walked as fast as I could to the sword training room. My breathing was so hard that I couldn't even hear the people around me whispering. I was about to lose it; people know that my temper isn't very good. If I didn't get my sword into _someone _soon I was going to tear this place down.

I finally got a sword in my hand, and I went to work on a dummy. Within twenty seconds, there was only little chunks of it everywhere. This wasn't working. I needed to break something. The trainers needed to pay. The trainers… HOW THE HELL COULD THEY PICK CLOVE!? SHE WAS SEVENTEEN! YOU NEED TO BE EIGHTEEN! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!

That's when the first thing broke. I didn't even realize that my fist had gone straight into the wall, leaving a gaping hole. This still wasn't helping! Before I knew what I was doing, I was on my way back to the gymnasium. These trainers made a big mistake. I went straight up to Enobaria, and that's when the screaming started.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? SHE IS ONLY SEVENTEEN! SHE CAN'T GO INTO THE ARENA! SHE CAN'T!" I was closing in on her, but being Enobaria, she just smiled.

"Well she can, and she is. You know better than anyone that your little girlfriend is better than everyone here. Except maybe you." She purred.

I could feel my face getting hot. It was getting harder and harder for me to think straight. "So let her cream everyone _next year_!" I shouted, but it was starting to sound like pleading. "Don't you want District 2 to win it two years in a row?!" I was getting desperate. There is no way I am letting this happen.

That's when Brutus came in. "Sorry Cato, we've made our decision. She's going into the Arena with you. That's what's going to happen." Brutus was my trainer, but that doesn't mean he was any better than me. It took all my strength not to snap his neck.

"Listen Sweetie…" Enobaria began. "You can't change our decision. And I feel bad… I really do." she taunted. This woman was _sick_. She was making me furious on purpose. Nobody should have control over me. Nobody. "I know how much you two care about each other." She was walking towards me now, her Capitol-made teeth now peeking through her lips. She came up to me and stroked my face. "Sorry Cato." She purred. Enobaria turned to Brutus. "This is going to be an interesting Hunger Games, isn't it Brutus?"

Brutus let out a little chuckle. "Yes it is."

I couldn't handle this anymore. I had to leave. I turned and walked away. I knew exactly where I was going. I was on my way out to the back, where I first met Clove, but I didn't even make it halfway. Clove came out of nowhere and grabbed my arm, pulling me into a supply closet.

"Where have you been Cato?" she sounded surprisingly angry. Why was she angry at me? Shouldn't she be pissed at the trainers like me?

"That is not what is important right now, Clove!" I was getting worked up again.

"What are we going to do?" I say, and I can tell she sees the hurt on my face. I'm trying hard to stay focused, but she makes it so hard to not want her every second.

"What can we do Cato? It's the Hunger Games. Both of us can't survive."

As she says this, all of the anger drains out of me. Suddenly, all that I can feel is sadness.

"I can't live without you Clove." I say softly.

She slowly looks up at me with her brown eyes, "Don't you dare start thinking like that Cato. You are meant to win this thing. You always have been." This only makes me angry again.

"And you're not?! You got picked a year early because you're so good! And there is no way that I am going to win if it means not being with you." I say, and as each word sinks into our brains, she shoves me into the closet door and jumps up to me, wrapping her legs around my waist.

I've never thought that Clove loved me as much as I love her. It seems impossible to love someone more that I love her. But she brings her lips to my neck, I can hear the sound of her soft lips brushing my skin as she brings them to my ear. "Neither am I." she whispers.

I can't take it anymore. I give in to what my heart is yearning for. I bring her lips to mine, and kiss her with so much passion it hurts. She returns the favor, running her fingers through my hair, while I slowly press my tongue against her lips, asking for her to let me in. She parts her lips, and slides her tongue into my cheek. Our bodies seem to move as one, melting into the other. I want nothing more than I want her.

We pull apart, catching our breath. We don't want to stop, but I as terrible thought comes to my mind, I can tell by her face that she is thinking the same thing… _How many more kisses are we going to have?_


	4. Chapter 4

As I roll out of bed, I realize that today is Reaping Day. Normally, I couldn't be more excited for this day to be over with, so I could get to the Arena. But today I want nothing more than to go back a few days and beat some sense into the trainers, or maybe tell Clove to start slacking so they wouldn't pick her. It really is surprising that I didn't even consider Clove going into the Games with me. I mean she really is as good as me… just at different things. But even if I had thought of that, I never would have dreamed it would actually happen. This is a nightmare.

I start to head towards the bathroom so I can take a cold shower before getting dressed. When I reach the bathroom door I see a note stuck in the doorknob. Knowing who spent the night last night, I know who it's from.

_"See you at the Reaping. –Clove"_

Typical Clove, avoiding the problem by leaving a note and not mentioning what we know we have to face today. "Can't wait" I mumble to the piece of paper as I crumple it in my hand, and throw it away. I head into the bathroom and turn on the water, dreading the fact that I won't be able to see Clove until we are standing on that stage shaking hands.

As I stand in the ice-cold water, something pops into my head that I never even thought about. What if Clove doesn't volunteer? What if we let the person who's name is drawn go into the Arena? What would the trainers do? I decide that I need to tell this to Clove right now, so I get out of the shower and dry off as quickly as I can, and run to Clove's dorm.

I knock hard, and fast on her door. "Clove!" I yell. "Clove, I need to talk to you." She opens the door quickly, and looks at me with a face that's a mixture of anger and sadness.

"What?" she says, trying to avoid eye contact as she lets me in, and shuts the door.

I ignore my urge to comfort her, and say what I came here to say.

"What if you didn't volunteer?" I ask, probably sounding like an idiot. "I mean, what if you just didn't volunteer, and let the person who has their name drawn go into the Arena with me?" I say expectantly.

Clove ponders this and it doesn't take long for her to respond. "I would look like a complete coward. That's what." She snaps. Clove is obviously just as stressed and upset as I am.

"Do you really care that much? You would rather I die than look like a coward for a year, and then prove them all wrong in the Arena by winning in a few days?" I can't believe that she could turn the idea down so fast. "I would do that for you Clove. You know that I would." I say softly. The thought of us in the Arena together is getting to be too much to handle.

"I know you would Cato, but maybe we can figure out a way to convince the gamemakers to allow two victors! Maybe if we just show them that neither of us are going to win without the other winning too." She explains.

"And how the hell would we do that, huh Clove? Because I think the gamemakers can do anything that they want to make one of us die. I think you know that pretty damn well." I say, clenching my fists to keep me from punching another wall.

Clove looks at the floor again, searching for answers. "Fine, I won't volunteer. Are you happy? You can go into the Hunger Games without me. I will do the same thing next year and we will live happily ever after." She says sarcastically. I lean down and give her a big, exaggerated kiss. She giggles as she pulls away, pointing at the door. "Get out." She says.

As I walk out of her dorm feeling extremely satisfied with myself, the light bounces off of something, down the hall… It's someone's teeth, and then it disappears with long, dark hair trailing behind. Enobaria. Had she been listening to us? There's no way she was listening to us through Clove's door… right? Anything is possible with Enobaria I guess. But there's no way. I let it go, as I go back to my dorm to get ready for the Reaping.

I get in the shower for the second time today. A smile plastered on my face the whole time. _Good job Cato. That was such a great idea Cato. Your dreams are going to come true Cato._

I get out of the shower and dry off. I walk over to my closet where my "Reaping Suit" awaits me. It was just a simple tux, black with white underneath. It fits me like a glove; snug, but not tight. Looking at the clock I realize that its 12:45. The Reaping started in fifteen minutes! I quickly get dressed and head out the door.

When I get to the Square I sign in, not even noticing when they pricked my finger. I walk over to the spot where the oldest boys go, and wait. Not making eye contact with anyone. I just stare at the cold, stone ground. I have to keep my reputation alive… there will be no sign of happiness other than the fact that I am going into the Hunger Games. I will not let people know about how happy I am that Clove isn't going to volunteer. I might as well go up on stage with a teddy bear and say that I refuse to kill anyone because its mean.

Up on the stage is Brutus, Enobaria, and the Mayor of District 2. That's when I see that Slysta Whimsey, the District 2 escort, has somehow managed to get onto the stage wearing one of her most ridiculous, stupid outfits ever. She had on at least nine inch heels that were orange and silver. Her wig went out about 10 inches from her ears, making her head look like a flying saucer. She had some new Capitol tattoo on her face that moved across her cheeks. I think it was supposed to be some sort of bird flying across her face. Whatever it was looked stupid as hell. She waddled up to the microphone and gave us a big, over-exaggerated smile.

"Welcome!" she screeched in her god-awful Capitol accent. "Welcome citizens of District 2! Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor." It was getting harder and harder to control myself. _Don't smile. You're a vicious, cold-blooded killer who knows he is going to win. Don't think about Clove. Clove… _A smile started to creep up on his face, so he looked back down at the ground until he got himself under control.

"First up… The boys." She briskly turns to her right and walks over to the boys Reaping Ball. Before she has even said the name, a path has been cleared in front of me. I walk up to the stage, a smirk growing on my face.

"I volunteer." I say as I reach the top of the steps leading up to the stage. Sylsta walks right over to me and leads me to the microphone.

"And who are you?" she asks giving the crowd a big grin, like it's the most exciting thing in the world to be standing next to a District 2 volunteer. It's not like it's her job or anything.

"Cato Forwath." I say, standing as tall as ever, letting my smirk turn into a malicious smile. It says: "Do**not** mess with me."

As I step back further from the front of the stage, Enobaria slithers up behind me. She puts her lips up to my ear in a very seductive, cat-like way.

"I can't wait to see your face after you figure out my little trick. You can't get away with anything as long as I'm around Cato." She purrs. I can feel her lips curve up into a smile at the same time mine slowly sink down into a hard line. All of a sudden the world is slowed down and I remember seeing her fleeing from where me and Clove made the plan for her not to volunteer. The whole thing plays back in my head, and as I remember Enobaria's hair disappearing behind the corner, Sylsta is pulling Clove up onto the stage. Clove has the same look I have on my face. Shock. Surprise. Confusion. **_Hurt._**

My worst nightmare has become a reality… all over again.


	5. Chapter 5

I look into Clove's eyes as we shake hands on the stage. We read each other like books, and instantly know how scared, worried, and angry we both are right now. I release her hand and turn back to face the crowd, some of which probably know about our situation, and are most likely laughing.

Sylsta Whimsey, our escort, places her hand on the small of my back and pushes us away from the crowd and into Pride Hall (the building that has shrines to all the victors of District 2). She brings us into the main lobby area and finally takes her hands off of us. I can hear Clove exhale loudly. She hates when people touch her, or make her do something she doesn't want. So she was probably holding her breath to keep from slicing Sylsta open.

"Well you two, if you have people that you want to speak to, go into the rooms on your right, and left. But I doubt you will have anyone who comes, you District 2 people are always very eager to get to the Capitol." She turns briskly and walked away, leaving us alone… finally.

"Come on!" Clove grabs my wrist and drags me into one of the rooms as fast as she possibly can. Slamming the door behind us, she turns to me and throws herself at me. She wraps her arms around my neck, and her legs around my waist. I throw my arms around her and squeeze her tiny little body so hard it should break her.

I know telling Clove about what Enobaria did will most likely cause serious damage to Pride Hall, but I know I have to. She has to know what happened to us… and who is to blame.

"Clove, we were set up." I say, pulling away just enough so we can look each other in the eye. "Enobaria heard us this morning in your dorm, so she rigged the reaping bowls." The anger contorts my voice into a half-growl, half-cry.

Clove drops onto the ground silently. Her eyes narrow into slits, and I see murder in every fiber of her body. "That BITCH!" she screams, she picks up the vase on the table next to us, throws it at the wall. She pulls a knife out from behind her back, and throws it at a painting on the wall. It sinks deep into the wall through the canvas. She hit the person in the painting directly in the eye.

I am just as angry as she is, but I can't seem to bring myself to attack any of the furniture like Clove is doing. I just grab her shoulders and hold her steady in front of me.

"Clove! Killing the painting will not solve our problem. We already have a solution, remember? Your plan?" I am desperately trying to convince myself, as well as Clove.

"It's not the painting I want to kill." Her words sounding more and more like a snarling animal.

"Well if you kill Enobaria they will kill you, and I'm not going to let that happen. Think about it Clove, we still have something. We have the plan you had. We can prove to them that neither one of us is going to kill the other. At least this isn't completely hopeless." I whisper the last part, leaning in closer so that our faces are almost touching.

"Not yet anyway…" she whispers back.

A peacekeeper comes into the room, and leads us out of Pride Hall. We don't say anything more. We are both lost in our own thoughts. I stare straight ahead, not looking at anyone in the sea of people. They will see it as determination, and viciousness. But it's really anger, and hurt. They will never know that though.

We reach the train in a few minutes. I step onto the platform and help Clove up. We walk into the train car, and I am immediately in shock. I knew the Capitol gave the tributes fancy trains to ride in, and fancy rooms to stay in. But I didn't expect this.

"Isn't it just exquisite?" Sylsta chirps if from behind us, breaking the silence between me and Clove since we were swept away from Pride Hall. "Just make yourself at home. It's not a very long trip so you will only be staying one night here. But don't worry… The Training Centre rooms are even nicer!"

God, I want to punch this bitch.

I turn around, examining the rest of the car. Then I see her. Enobaria and Brutus have just walked into the train as well. I start towards her, but Clove beat me to it.

"YOU BITCH!" Clove launches herself at Enobaria. She couldn't have gotten two punches in before Enobaria had thrown her to the ground. She does not touch my Clove. Nobody can touch her.

"DON'T YOU TOUCH HER YOU FUCKING BITCH!" I pull my fist back at the same time I launch my body at her.

I want to kill her.

I am going to kill her.

My fist is about to connect with Enobaria's face, but Brutus steps in front of her and catches my fist in his palm. He twists it and I let out a small gasp of pain.

"How about you don't kill your little girlfriends trainer, and then get killed for murdering end of the Capitol's favorite victors? Does that sound good Cato?"

"Shut the hell up, Brutus." I say, practically spitting in his face.

I turn back around to face Clove on the floor. She has blood dripping from her forehead. I kneel down beside her and pick her up in my arms. I carry her in the direction Sylsta said our rooms were.

"Please tell me you killed the bitch." Clove mumbles. I look down at her, and give her a small half smile.

"I was going to, but Brutus stopped me. He said something about me getting killed for murdering one of the Capitol's sex slaves. Well, he said: 'one of the Capitol's favorites.' But that means she is a sex slave." I say, my eyes locked onto hers as I open the door to one of our rooms.

"What a bastard." She manages to get out. Her eyes are fighting to stay open. I lean down and kiss her forehead. I set her down on the bed that's probably five times her size.

"Just go to sleep, Clover." I whisper into her ear. "I love you." I say, and I find myself getting a lump in my throat. Only Clove can make me choke up for a reason as dumb as this. Or any reason at all.

I walk over to the window and stand there looking at my district, my home. I look back at the bed and see Clove lying there asleep. My heart lurches forward, begging me to go lay with her. I look back out the window, and realize that this will be the last time I will see it.

I am going to make Clove come back here. I don't want to come back home if I'm not with her. I will tell her that her plan about us showing them up will work, but I know it won't. So I'm going to make us the last standing tributes, but I'm going to sacrifice myself for her. She will live. I will die for her.

The train hums, and starts to zoom away from District 2.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6:

I awake to sound of Sylsta banging on the door squawking at us to get moving. I forgot I never left Clove's room, and now she is curled up in my arms like a child. She looks so innocent when she sleeps. I examine her face for a while. When her eyes are closed, you can't see her eyes staring through your soul. It's kind of nice, but I love Clove because of who she is when she is awake.

Clove's eyes shoot open, and she whips her head around to face me. She looks at me with shock filling her eyes, but relaxes once she realizes who I am, and where we are. I look down at her and give her a little smile.

"Good morning Clover." I say though my grin.

"Why are you sleeping in my bed Cato?" she replies, clearly not ready to be awake. She starts to wiggle away, but I pull her right back.

"You looked cold, little one." And I pull the blanket over us to emphasize my point. She keeps struggling though.

"Will you two just get out of there already?" Sylsta asks impatiently. "Don't make me go get Brutus or Enobaria. You don't want one of them waking you up do you?" she says, sounding like a teacher threatening to call your parents. "We are nearly to the Capitol! You have to get up and get ready for your big entrance!" she chirps. She obviously can't wait to get back to the Capitol.

This does make me jump out of bed though. I have been waiting for this my whole life, and we are finally getting to the Capitol. I am finally going to get to show all of Panem what Cato Forwath is made of. I get to prove to the Gamemakers that I am the one to beat. But I really just want to be in the Arena.

Right as I am about to leave for my own room so I can shower and change, I remember the events that took place yesterday in the train car.

"Clove, how are you doing? You know, after your little encounter with Enobaria. You got knocked out, so are you ok?" I ask, suddenly sounding like a mom.

"I'm fine!" she snaps, and I swear I could _see_ venom spewing from her mouth. _Someone's wearing their sassy pants today._

"Alright, alright." I say, holding my hands up in surrender.

I walk out of Clove's room, and cross the hallway to mine. As I walk in, I realize that this is the first time and have even been in my room. It might even be the last time, since we're going to be arriving at the Capitol soon.

The rooms here are huge… well as huge as a room can be in a train. But the walls are painted a very deep shade of teal, and the carpet is white and incredibly soft. The beds are on lifted pedestals that are about 2 feet tall. Instead of a few big lights, there are about twenty five very small lights spread evenly around the ceiling.

I make my way to the bathroom, and find that the style of it is dramatically different from the bedroom area. Instead of a deep shade of teal on the walls, there is a blinding white and silver pattern on the walls. The sink and shower are both silver. I decide on taking a quick shower before breakfast.

I take off my dirty clothes and throw them carelessly onto the cold, tile floor. I reach into the shower and turn the water on. I let it run for a while before getting in. I regret it as I step in, the water is scolding hot. It immediately turns my feet a bright shade of pink.

Standing in the hot water, I start to think over what I will be doing over the next few days before the Games. Tomorrow night is the Tribute Parade, and then we start training. A vicious grin spreads across my face as I wonder how pathetic the other tributes will be compared to me and Clove. I keep thinking over all of this while I get out of the shower, and dry off.

Wrapping a new towel around my waist, I walk over to the dresser that looks like it's made of mahogany. I open one of the drawers and try to find something normal to wear. I dig around and finally find a plain blue v-neck. I slide it over my head, and out on a pair of fitted gray pants I found in another drawer.

After getting dressed, I walk out of my room and start towards the dining car. It's not a long walk, since the dining car is only two away from our rooms. I pass through the main car, and remember the incident that took place yesterday. Anger boils underneath the skin all over my body. I know I will have to face Enobaria in just a few moments, and I am not prepared for what might happen if I get too pissed at that bitch.

I reach the door, and peek through the window. Sylsta, Brutus, Enobaria, and Clove are all there. _Great I'm last. _I open the door, and walk into what seems to be a conversation between Brutus and Enobaria about the most fun ways to kill people. This doesn't surprise me one bit. Not even a little bit.

"Look at this, it's little Clove's big hero." Enobaria coos, as she leans forward onto the table to rest her head on her fist. "Don't worry big guy, I won't be attacking your girlfriend anymore… as long as she keeps her claws off me." Enobaria speaks as if she is talking to a small child.

"I'm right here, so don't start talking about me like I'm not!" Clove exclaims. She hates when people talk to me about her… _especially_ if she can hear them.

"She would've never attacked you if you never rigg—" I start to yell.

"Can we all just shut up and eat?" Brutus exclaims, slamming his hands down on the table." I really don't want to have to tell the Gamemakers that I lost both my tributes and a trainer, because they killed each other on the train." He says with a very annoyed tone to his voice.

"Whatever." I mumble, and I walk over to the chair next to Clove. I sit down and an avox brings me a plate so full of food, it makes me less hungry just looking at it. But, of course I still dive into the mountain of deliciousness.

"My goodness, you eat like a pig!" says a seemingly shocked, and offended Sylsta Whimsey.

"Oh I'm sorry," I begin with my mouth still stuffed with food, "would you like me to eat one potato chunk at a time, so you all have to watch me eat for a year?" I say, dropping my fork onto my plate, makes a loud clank causing everyone to go silent and stare at me.

"Well, it's just very obnoxious and unpleasant to witness _Cato._" She says my name in an elongated voice that implies she is my superior.

"Cato, don't say anything. I need the escort too. Sort of." Says Brutus, his comment makes Sylsta look very offended. But she shuts up, and so do I.

I finish eating in few minutes, still devouring my food just to annoy Sylsta. She shoots me glares every once and a while. I stand up and an avox takes my plate right away. I start walking towards my room again, beginning to get anxious to get out o this train. It may be big, but there's only so much time I can spend trapped in a small area with no weapons.

I quickly notice Clove is following me, but she hasn't said anything so she must not want to talk to me. I decide not to acknowledge her until we reach our rooms.

"Clove, was it just me, or did you want to gouge Sylsta's eyes out too?" I say as I turn to face her. Her eyes fill with pleasure at that thought and a smile emerges onto her face.

"Oh, it was most definitely not just you Cato. Except I was thinking more of a tongue-cutting thing." She spits through her smirk.

I let out a laugh, "Can you imagine Sylsta as an avox?" we laugh together this time. We are both taking great pleasure in the thought of cutting out Sylsta's tongue, and finally shutting her up.

"Would you like to come into my room with me?" I ask jokingly, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

"Is that an invitation Cato?" she jokes back.

I laugh at this and pull her close to me, and just as our lips are about to touch, I whisper to her. "I think it is Clover." And our lips meet. Every single one of our kisses has the same amount of fire and passion. There is never a bad kiss with me and Clove.

But Enobaria rudely interrupts us as she purrs: "Don't get to cozy, Lovebirds. We have _finally _arrived at the Capitol."

**THANKS FOR READING! PLEASE COMMENT AND TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS! SUGGESTIONS ARE ALWAYS ACCEPTED AND ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO SAY! HAHA AND IF YOU LIKE IT, FOLLOW IT SO YOU GET UPDATES WHENEVER I UPDATE! :) THANKS EVERYONE!**

**-Andy**


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